Our Little Guy
by Anteater
Summary: Missing scene for Episode 3.12 "The Baby in the Bough." My take on why Booth called Andy "our little guy." Originally a one-shot but now continued to show how Andy's time with Booth and Brennan affects their relationship.
1. Our Little Guy

A/N: I was watching "The Baby in the Bough" the other day and this story idea wouldn't leave me alone. Let me know what you think and please review! This is currently a one-shot but I'm toying with the idea of continuing so if you want to see more, let me know! Enjoy!

Warning: Spoilers for "The Baby in the Bough" and anything referring to Brennan in the foster care system.

Our Little Guy

Booth woke to knocking on his door. Cracking open an eye, he glared at his clock when it told him that it was only 3:27 am, thinking that if he glared at it long enough, the clock would speed up and tell him that he wasn't really woken up at this absurdly early hour. Booth closed his eyes again, intent on ignoring the knocking on his door when he also heard a wail. Awake now, he tossed back the covers and stumbled out of bed and towards the door in his sweatpants and bare chest, not even bothering with putting a shirt on. "Okay, okay," he muttered to himself as the knocking and the cry continued. He flung open the door without even looking through the peephole, something he realized belatedly that he constantly chided Brennan for not doing. On the other side of the door stood Brennan, wearing a pair of sweatpants and an old FBI sweatshirt he left at her place a while ago, looking anxious and worried, holding a diaper bag and a carrier that currently held a wailing Andy, tears running down his face that was scrunched up and red from the exertion.

"Booth, I need your help," Brennan told him over the baby's cry as she stood outside his door. She could hear the desperation in her voice even though she was trying to hide it. Andy had started crying about two hours ago and wouldn't stop. She tried feeding him, holding him, singing to him, and finally she thought he would tire himself out after a while but the crying continued. When she couldn't think of anything else to do, she packed Andy up and starting driving him, thinking the motion of the car would put him to sleep. That didn't work either and she found herself outside Booth's apartment, needing his advise as a parent. "I know that I have responsibilities as a registered foster parent that you don't have and that it is early, but I didn't know what else to do and he won't stop crying even though I patted him and fed him…"

"Bones, it's ok, come in, please," Booth said, finally breaking out of his daze and pulling his partner into his apartment. She dropped the diaper bag just inside his door and he led her to the living room, putting the baby carrier on the coffee table in front of the couch, the occupant still wailing in displeasure. Booth saw her collapse on the couch and he bent down to pick up the baby. "Hey, little big man, what 's the matter? You're upsetting your Auntie Bones over there and we don't want that now do we?" Booth asked in a hushed tone as he picked Andy up and cradled him to his left shoulder, bouncing him up and down and shushing him quietly. He felt Andy cuddle into his shoulder, right over his heart, seeking out the warmth his bare chest provided and also the reassuring beat of his heart as the baby began to quiet down.

Brennan stared in shock at her partner and Andy, who was now hiccupping quietly and trying to comfort himself by attempting to put his whole fist in his mouth and leaving a small string of drool on Booth's chest. She had been trying to comfort the boy for an hour with no luck and Booth holds him for a minute and he stops crying. Brennan felt like a failure, a total and colossal failure. So she did what she always did when she felt humiliated: she ran. "Well, Booth, since he has quieted down with you, I'm going back to my apartment-"

"Wait, Bones," Booth said as he grabbed her arm with his free hand, leaning back slightly to support Andy's tiny frame. "Why are you leaving? I need you here."

"No you don't, Booth," Brennan said as she starting pacing his living room, her frustration at the situation coming through in her speech. "He obviously likes you better than me. I don't know why I thought I could do this. I'm no good with children; I just don't have the maternal instinct that other women seem to have. You know, anthropologically speaking, some women don't have a natural bond with children, which means that in a hunter/gatherer type society they would take on other responsibilities, such as…"

As Brennan continued to talk and her voice escalated in pitch, Booth could feel the anxiety coming off of her in waves and Andy started to get fussy again. Booth smiled as he put two and two together and figured out why Brennan couldn't make Andy stop crying.

Brennan glanced over at Booth and saw him smiling, which just infuriated her more. "Fine, Booth, I'll be here tomorrow morning to pick him up because I don't want you to think that I am shirking my responsibilities-"

"Bones, stop talking for a minute," Booth interrupted her. She stopped and when she listened she heard Andy whimpering softly, too tired from his cry earlier to start a full-blown wail. She looked at Booth, her eyes silently asking him what was wrong.

"Bones, the reason why you couldn't get him to calm down earlier isn't because you weren't trying or that you don't have a maternal instinct. It's because he could feel the tension and anxiety you were feeling and he was reacting to it the only way he knows how. And the tension between the two of you just built up until neither of you could calm down. Now, come here," he instructed her. She complied and softly walked over to where he was standing, in between the coffee table and his couch. He sat down on the couch and Brennan followed his lead, sitting down next to him on his left side so she was eye level with Andy's sleeping face. When he felt the shift in position Andy made a little noise of displeasure and Brennan saw a sliver of his bright blue eyes as he peeked out at her before he closed them again and settled against Booth's chest. Brennan found her anger instantly dissipating at the sight of the boy's eyes. Booth rubbed his hand up and down Andy's back when he heard the whimper as he sat down on the couch to quiet the little boy.

Brennan couldn't help but smile at the image in front of her. Booth was sitting on the couch in his sweatpants, his hair standing up at all angles from sleep, softly cooing to the baby in his arms while still rubbing his right hand in a circular motion on the boy's back. _He really is a good father_, Brennan thought.

"Here, Bones," Booth said as he lifted the boy from his shoulder in preparation of giving him to Brennan. Booth supported the sleeping boy's head with one hand and used the other to support his body and tried to hand him to her. She looked panicked and scooted away from him.

"Booth, what are you doing?" Brennan asked, avoiding the child. "He's calm when you hold him. He only cries when I hold him."

"No, Bones, he's not crying because he doesn't want you to hold him. You were just stressed out that you weren't doing it right and that got him stressed out so he started to cry. Now, here, let me show you," Booth said as he beckoned her to come closer to him. Brennan still looked slightly worried that Andy would wake up and start screaming again but at Booth's encouraging glance, she slid closer to him and held her arms out.

"Here, Bones, let me help you," he said softly. He placed the baby in her arms. Andy's face scrunched up for a moment and he whimpered a bit as he was readjusted. Brennan stiffened up as she saw this, thinking that Andy would start crying again. Booth felt her stiffen up next to him and moved quickly to reassure her. "You're doing good Bones, he's just reacting to the change in position. Now, hold your right arm a little higher and angle your left arm downward a little bit to support his head a little more. There you go, Bones," Booth said as he wrapped his left arm around her to angle Brennan's arm correctly and gently grasped her right arm in his hand. Andy settled down and his face became relaxed in sleep again. Brennan smiled down at the boy and absently leaned back into Booth's bare chest, relaxing in his arms the same way Andy was relaxing in hers. Booth was surprised that Brennan hadn't pulled away from him and settled his arms more firmly around her under the pretense of helping her hold Andy more securely.

"I've never really felt comfortable holding children before," Brennan started quietly, not taking her eyes off of the sleeping boy, who had stuck his tongue out slightly. "When I was in the system, a lot of the families I was placed with fostered young children as well. I was always just expected to help take care of them but I never seemed to do it right and nobody would show me the proper ways to hold them and comfort them so I just became uncomfortable with them."

Booth absorbed this information without replying. It was rare that she talked about her time in the foster system and he always felt honored when she shared anything with him.

"Is that why you said you don't want kids?" Booth asked softly. Brennan shivered slightly as she realized how close she was to Booth. She suddenly felt the warmth his of arms around her and the hard muscles of his chest at her back. Surprisingly, she realized that she enjoyed it and subconsciously leaned further into him.

She nodded affirmatively in response to his question. "I never knew that care giving could be this rewarding. Anthropologically speaking, I know that humans have evolved to release endorphins to stimulate good feelings in response to the process of care giving to make people attached to their young but I never knew that the feelings could be this strong. I don't know what I would do if he was hurt in any way and he is not even my child. I can't imagine how you deal with these feelings in regards to Parker."

"Well, Bones, when it's your child, you give them all the love and support they need and don't think about the rest. It's the easiest and hardest job I'll ever have and I wouldn't have it any other way. Except that I wish I could see him more," Booth said with a hint of regret in his voice.

Brennan turned to look at him and found him looking into his eyes. "You are an excellent father, Booth. Parker is so lucky to have you in his life."

Booth smiled at her. "Thanks, Bones. I really appreciate it." Both looked toward Andy when he yawned and turned his head to nestle more into Brennan's chest. Booth chuckled under his breath. "I think Andy has the right idea, Bones. I'm exhausted," Booth finished with a yawn of his own. "You know, Bones, you don't have to leave. It's late and we are both tired. Why don't you stay here for the night?" Booth asked nervously.

"Where is he going to sleep?" she argued half-heartedly, reasoning that she was not ready for to go home and face being alone with Andy just yet. She refused to admit to herself that she just wanted to stay longer with Booth.

"Put him in the carrier. He'll be fine there for the rest of the night," Booth answered hopefully. Brennan nodded and carefully placed her charge in the carrier, relieved when he didn't stir. She covered him with the blanket she got from the diaper bag and sat back down on the couch, where Booth was still sitting and staring at Andy with a soft expression on his face. When she sat down, Booth hesitantly put his arm on the back of the couch behind her, giving her an invitation for more if she wanted it. Brennan smiled to herself at Booth's gesture. She couldn't explain why she craved his touch right now but caring for Andy made her feel vulnerable and Booth seemed to soothe away her vulnerability. She leaned over and placed her head on Booth's chest and sought out the spot Andy had settled on earlier: the spot right over Booth's heart. Listening to the steady beat, she sighed deeply and settled more firmly into his chest, closing her eyes and falling right to sleep.

Booth smiled as he felt Brennan's breathing even out, indicating that she had fallen asleep. He pressed a light kiss to her forehead and ignoring the thought of how his back was going to feel tomorrow after sleeping on the couch for the night, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep as well, thinking of the little guy in the carrier who for the time being was their own.


	2. Their Little Guy

A/N: So, even after writing "Our Little Guy" this idea still wouldn't leave me alone so I decided to continue with it. Thanks for the great response to the first part and please review. Enjoy!

Warning: Spoilers for "The Baby in the Bough," "Soldier on the Grave," and anything referring to Brennan's past in the foster system.

Their Little Guy

Booth felt the cool breeze across his face as he and Brennan sat in the back of his SUV. After they had given Andy to Carol and Jimmy Grant this morning, they had driven out of the city and were just trying to process their time with the little boy. Even though Brennan had given him the "natural by-product of care giving" speech, Booth knew this was affecting her on a more personal level. She had grown attached to the boy that had been placed her care during their case.

Brennan couldn't stop thinking about Andy. She made a point of not getting attached to children after being moved from house to house when she was in foster care. She'd had many younger "siblings" during that time and made a habit of not getting involved caring for those siblings. Although that earned her a reputation for being cold amongst her new families, she couldn't risk being hurt again. Caring for Andy had brought up a lot of those feelings again and she was shocked to discover that she really enjoyed her time with the child, although she admitted to herself that that might have had something to do with the time she spent with Booth as well. She smiled to herself as she remembered the other morning with them.

When they woke up on his couch after she came to his house with the screaming child the night before, they found Andy flashing them his big smile and trying to put his foot in his mouth. She chuckled at the expression on the boy's face and Booth woke up when he felt Brennan move. He still had his arm around her but sometime in the night they had moved so they were both lying horizontal, Brennan lying partially on top of him so they could both fit. There was an initial moment of awkwardness as they both realized the situation but Andy interrupted them by giggling and waving his arms. They both smiled at him back and Brennan sat up to take him out of the carrier, giving him a raspberry on his abdomen in the process. The giggling increased, now by both Andy and Brennan, and Booth just smiled at the sight before him. He loved seeing this side of his partner, uninhibited and relaxed. Booth grabbed the diaper bag from the side of the door and found the formula inside. As he prepared the bottle, he saw Brennan holding Andy in the way he had instructed her to last night, smiling at him and making him laugh. Brennan didn't care that she looked silly, making noises that would in no way aid Andy's intellectual development but just made him laugh. And she found herself enjoying the sound, immensely.

Booth's mind was also on their night together with Andy but for an entirely different reason. He had been thinking about what she had said about being in the system and why she was uncomfortable around children. He was still amazed at the way that she opened herself up to him and told him little bits of her past. And over the past couple of days, like his Catholic upbringing taught him, he had amassed a lot of guilt about not doing the same and if their relationship was heading the way he thought and hoped it was, then he needed to start opening up to her as well. Being with Andy stirred up some old feelings for him too; feelings that he'd had when Parker was Andy's age. His thoughts started to physically manifest themselves as he started squirming in his spot in the back of the SUV. Brennan noticed his change in body posture and even though she didn't believe in psychology, Booth was giving off clear signs of distress.

"Booth, what's wrong?" Brennan asked. "Did the coffee burn you at all?"

Booth gave her a nervous chuckle and shook his head. "No, Bones. I got a little stain on my shirt, but other than, I'm fine." He looked her in the eyes and anxiously began to speak, wringing his hands the whole time. "You know, Bones, I've been thinking a lot about what you said the other night, about…when you were in the foster system," he started, breaking eye contact and looking down at the motion of his hands. "When you tell me stuff like that, Bones, it makes me feel good that you would trust me like that. And I realized that I have not told you a lot about my past, and that needs to change, Bones, because there is no one else I trust more than you and you need to know that." Brennan was shocked by his words. She always was curious about Booth's past but never had the guts to ask, knowing how intensely private of a man Booth was and figured he would tell her on his own time. Not knowing what to say, she nodded at him encouragingly to continue.

He released a shaky breath. "When Rebecca turned me down after I asked her to marry me, I was afraid the reason why was because she was scared I would turn out to be like my father. I know I haven't told you this Bones but my father wasn't the nicest guy. Becca and I grew up in the same neighborhood and everyone knew what happened in the Booth house but nobody talked about it; when I showed up at school with bruises, nobody asked where they came from. The nine months Becca was pregnant was a very dark time for me Bones. She didn't want to talk to me and I was left questioning whether or not she thought I would be a monster to my child the way my father was to me. I stopped going to my meetings and was on the verge of gambling again," Booth said, still wringing his hands and looking anywhere but Bones' eyes.

Brennan couldn't believe what Booth said. She never would have guessed that her strong, compassionate, kind partner was the victim of child abuse. Remembering what Angela had told her a couple of years ago about the healing power of touch, she reached out one of her hands and covered his, effectively stopping their continuous motion. He felt her hand touch his and turned over his hand to intertwine their fingers, her touch giving him the strength to continue.

"When Becca called me to tell me that she was in labor and wanted me to be there, I was standing outside a casino in Atlantic City. At that moment, I knew that G-d had sent Parker to me for a reason. It took me 3 and a half hours to drive back to D.C. and luckily, Parker was stubborn and it took 27 hours of labor before he was born," Booth recalled with a tender smile that Brennan swore took 10 years off of him, if that was even possible.

"And when I held him for the first time Bones, I was scared out of my mind. He evoked all of these feelings in me that I had tried to bury for a long, long time," Booth said. "When I was holding Andy last night, it brought me back to when Becca would let me have Parker for the night and it would be just me and my little son. He would look at me like I was the best thing that ever happened to him. But it was the other way around; he was the best thing that happened to me. You asked me last night Bones about how I can keep my feelings about Parker getting hurt or something equally horrible in check. It's not easy, but it's okay that he brings out the best in me, Bones. That's what kids do to you and it's okay that Andy did that to you too, even though you only had him for a couple of days."

She couldn't believe that Booth verbalized exactly what she had been thinking. Andy made her reevaluate her life in a lot of areas and it really scared her. She never considered herself someone that wanted a family or kids but seeing Booth with Parker and then caring for Andy made her think some more about those areas that were lacking in her own life. And while she knew that she was nowhere near ready to have any kids of her own, she knew that objectively she should branch out a little bit.

She squeezed his hand. "Thank you, Booth."

Booth nodded, not entirely sure what she was thanking him for, but eager to get going. He gave her hand one more squeeze before he released it. "Hey, Bones, I'm kinda hungry. Wanna grab some food?" Booth asked her, breaking her out of the musings. She realized they were still sitting by the side of the road in the trunk of the SUV. She looked in the backseat of the car, almost expecting Andy's car seat to be there and was surprisingly disappointed when it wasn't there. Booth saw her look toward the backseat and knew exactly what she was thinking: no more Andy. He knew that she must be feeling sad about his absence and he was too, but knowing he had Parker this weekend made the loss a little easier to swallow.

"It'll be okay, Bones," he told her, as he got up out of the trunk and walked toward the side of the SUV. He held out a hand to her to help her jump down. After giving him a glare that said, "I don't appreciate your alpha-male tendencies," she grabbed his hand. He helped her down and wrapped her up in a "guy hug" when her feet hit the ground. "I promise, Bones, it'll be okay. I'm sure that Carol and Jimmy will let you visit their little guy," he said softly into her hair with a hint of sadness. She resisted the embrace at first but it seemed her vulnerability from the case still lingered annoyingly and the only cure was Booth's arms. As she settled into Booth's embrace, she got up the courage to ask a question she had been struggling with over the last couple of days. She pulled back from his arms but still kept her hands around his waist.

"Booth, I have something to ask you, but it's okay if you say no," she started, avoiding eye contact. Booth looked down at Brennan, instantly curious because of the hesitation in her voice. _Bones is never unsure about anything_, he thought.

"Sure, Bones. You know you can ask me anything."

"Well, these last couple of days got me thinking about my life and while I am a best-selling author and at the top of my field, there are other areas in my life which I would like to branch into. After taking care of Andy, I have decided that it might be good for me to make small forays into other areas which I have not yet experienced," she said, still not looking at Booth.

"What are you saying, Bones?" Booth finally directed, lifting up her chin with his fingers to force her to look him in the eye.

She stared at him for a moment, taking comfort in his familiar brown eyes, and said, "I was wondering if the next time you have Parker if it would be possible for me to spend time with the both of you. Now, I don't want to take away from time with your son but I think that this would be the next logical step for me since I already know Parker. I would like to see all the different elements that go into caring for a child of his age range."

Booth smiled as he listened to her request. It warmed his heart to know that she wanted to spend time with him and his son; no matter what reason she gave. He knew that Parker enjoyed Bones' company; he enjoyed hearing about the dinosaur bones in the Jeffersonian and since he was a Booth, Brennan had a sort of magical hold over him, something that she had over both Booth men. He looked down at her and saw her chewing her lip, worried about his response. He gave her his 'charm smile' and instantly saw the relief in her eyes.

"That'd be great, Bones!" he told her excitedly. "Parker would love that. I actually have him this weekend. Is that too soon for you or do you want to set a date right now? I mean, not like a _date_ date but you know, a day of the weekend to get together," Booth finished, mentally kicking himself for the slip.

Brennan smiled at his fumbling as she gave him one more quick hug whispering "Thanks, Booth," before releasing him and heading to the passenger side of the car, excited for the coming weekend.


	3. Booth's Little Guy

A/N: Thank you so much for the response to the previous chapters. Enjoy and please review!

Warning: Spoilers for 'The Santa in the Slush' and 'The Baby in the Bough'

Booth's Little Guy

Brennan stood in front of the door of Booth's apartment, nervously shifting her weight from foot to foot. When she and Booth talked about spending time with Parker a couple of days ago, it sounded like a good idea. But now the prospect of spending the afternoon with Booth and his six-year-old son terrified her. But she knew she couldn't run because yesterday after Booth picked up Parker from Rebecca's house, he called her and told her that they were still on for the next day. In the background, she heard Parker chatting excitedly to his father about how much fun they were all going to have and heard him say, "Dad, does Bones know how fast cheetahs can run? What about hippos? Does she know why penguins can't fly? Can we go to the zoo? Does she know everything that they talk about on 'Planet Earth'?" Both chuckled and Booth told him he would have to wait until the next day and would have to ask Bones himself. He said bye to Brennan as she heard Parker still happily chatting away in the background.

She was so nervous about today. She really wanted it to go well. Ever since the Christmas kiss and the tree that Parker and Booth had brought her, she felt like their relationship was changing. When she looked at the situation objectively, she noticed the dinners had moved from the diner to each other's apartments, the length of time of their visits increased, and the touch at the small of her back when they were together lingered longer than it used to. She realized the other day while doing laundry that Booth had left clothes at her apartment over the last couple of weeks and she was even more startled when she realized she hadn't been washing them because they still retained his smell. She took these as signs that their relationship was actively moving toward being more personal than professional and she hoped that was what would happen. But she also knew that Parker was a big part of Booth's life and while she liked the little boy, she hoped that he liked her enough to let her into their lives because she would never, ever make Booth choose between her and his son.

When she told Angela about what she was doing today, Ange insisted on being part of the wardrobe selection, even though Brennan had told her over and over again that this was not a date; it was an opportunity for Brennan to branch out and explore other aspects of life, like any good anthropologist should do. Angela just nodded and gave a "Sure, sweetie," and then still came over to help her pick out what she was going to wear. They had decided on light green sundress and a pair of sandals, since Brennan still didn't know what they were doing today.

She finally got the courage to knock on Booth's door and heard two sets of footsteps on the other side, one slightly lighter and faster than the other. The door flung open and she saw the younger and shorter Booth standing there, having just flung open the door.

"Hi, Bones!" Parker said, giving her the famous Booth smile and then reaching out to wrap her legs up in a hug.

Even though she was still really nervous Brennan couldn't help but smile at the young boy and ran her fingers through his blond curls. "Hey, Parker."

"Parker, I told you not to open the door without me," Booth called as he approached the door as well. His eyes roamed appreciatively over Brennan's form when he saw her. He always liked seeing her out of her lab coat and dressed casually. He looked up and they made eye contact for a long moment before Parker ran around Booth and back into the apartment, his scampering bringing them out of their eye contact.

"Come on in, Bones. If you couldn't already tell, Parker is very excited for our little trip today. He's sort of in an animal kingdom phase ever since we have started watching 'Planet Earth.' I hope you brushed up on your animal knowledge because he thinks that you know everything."

Brennan laughed under her breath as she followed Booth into his apartment. It looked much different from when she over here the other night. There were train tracks that went around the coffee table and an old train sitting on top of it. Instead of the normal cleanliness of his kitchen, there were two empty juice boxes on the counter and a couple of bowls in the sink that looked like they had once held chocolate ice cream. Booth also looked more relaxed, more at peace now that his son was in his home. He was dressed in dark wash jeans and a navy blue t-shirt, picking up one of Parker's toys from their path as they made their way further into his apartment.

"Bones, are you excited to go to the zoo?" Parker asked her as he bounded in the living room from down the hallway, probably from his bedroom, Brennan guessed. Booth smiled at his son's enthusiasm. He was originally nervous about telling Parker that Brennan was going to spend time with them. While he knew that Parker liked her, he was unsure if Parker would be upset that she was "intruding" on their time together and had prepared a list of reasons as to why it would be a lot of fun. As it turned out, Booth's fears were completely unjustified as Parker thought it would be fun as well.

He really wanted this day to go well. Brennan and Parker were the two most important people in his life and the chance to spend the day with both of them thrilled him. He just hoped that the day lived up to his expectations.

"Of course, Parker. I can't remember the last time I went to the zoo," he heard Brennan answer his son.

"Really? Bones, the zoo is so much fun. We get to see all the animals and Daddy says you're really smart so I can ask you questions. I love the animals. Can we go now, Dad?" Parker asked, although he wasn't really listening for an answer as he grabbed Booth's hand and dragged him toward the door. Booth grabbed a couple of water bottles off of the counter as his son kept going toward the door.

"Come on, Bones! It's time to go!" Parker said as he walked by and grabbed Brennan's hand as well. She looked at Booth who just shrugged and smiled at his son's behavior as they went to the car to begin their adventure.

*

It was a warm day in late April and it seemed all of D.C. was ready to be done with the harsh winter that had blanketed the city in the previous couple of months as the city was bustling with people enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. The National Zoo was crowded but not so crowded that they still couldn't enjoy the sights. They had already been at the zoo for a couple of hours and Parker still seemed to have an abundance of energy. When they got there earlier in the day, Booth laughed at the shock on Brennan's face when Parker grabbed her hand and automatically started asking her questions about the pandas. He walked next to them, enjoying the conversation between his best friend and his son.

Brennan was a little overwhelmed so far by the day and was wondering how Booth did this by himself. Parker's energy was equivalent to that of a nuclear reactor and it seemed to have no end in sight. He had been running around the zoo, bouncing from exhibit to exhibit, dragging her along with him and asking very astute questions along the way. Booth wasn't kidding when he said that his son would have a lot for questions for her. Parker did seem to think that she knew everything and had managed to even stump her with a couple of them. On a couple of occasions, she turned and looked at Booth in a panic; unsure as to whether she was doing this right. He just looked at her with his warm, reassuring brown eyes and gave her a smile and a nod, which was all the confidence boost she needed to continue. Now, after visiting the reptiles, they were headed to the Great Cats exhibit, with Parker holding both Brennan's and Booth's hand along the way.

"Look, Daddy, it's a lion," Parker said as he pointed one of the cats in the exhibit.

"I see it, bub. It's pretty bug, huh?" Booth asked his son as he knelt down next to him so he could look him in he eyes. This exhibit was pretty crowded so as they approached the exhibit, Parker started to complain that he could not see anymore. Booth hoisted the boy up on his shoulders so he could see better and walked closer to the glass that separated the people and the cats. Brennan stood back and sat on one of the benches located across the pathway from the exhibit, content to enjoy a moment of silence as she saw Booth pointing out something to Parker. Parker turned around, perched high in his dad's shoulders, to look at her and gave her a goofy smile with a wave before turning to look at the cats again. Brennan smiled and chuckled under her breath.

"You have a very beautiful family, dear, with a husband and son that are obviously crazy about you," an elderly woman told her as she sat next to her on the bench. Rationally, Brennan knew she should correct the woman; tell her that this was not her family. But she was surprised at how much she liked the idea that outsiders thought that they were a family, enjoying a day out together. And Booth had told her there was more than one type of family, right? Anthropologically speaking, she knew that throughout time, humans had organized themselves into different family units depending on various societal needs that were much different from today.

So instead of saying all this, Brennan simply looked at the woman and said, "Thank you." During her musing, she didn't see that Booth and Parker had made their way over to them, Parker now walking on his own.

"You ready, Bones?" Booth asked, offering her his hand to help her up from the bench. Brennan was slightly startled but recovered quickly and nodded yes. She took Booth's offered hand and got up off the bench, expecting that he would let go when they started walking again. But instead he turned his palm to intertwine their fingers and kept a hold of her hand in his slightly larger one.

"Bones, Parker is getting kind of tired and hungry so I was thinking that we could go back to my place and make some dinner. Would you like to join us?" Booth said, still holding onto her hand. He was secretly thrilled when she didn't pull away and had in fact tightened her grip on his hand after he had linked their fingers. He looked up at her, waiting for her response and was awed for a moment by her appearance. The setting sun behind her had perfectly framed her face and the red and the oranges against the fading blue sky highlighted her bright blue eyes.

"Booth, did you hear me?" Brennan asked him after he didn't respond to her answer, amused by the expression on his face. Sometimes he looked at her like she was the most precious thing in the world. At first it unnerved her, but recently it made her feel cherished, something she hadn't felt for a while.

"Yeah, earth to Daddy," Parker said as he laughed at his own joke.

Booth snapped out of his thoughts at his son's laugh and said playfully, "What did you say, bub, huh? You want to say that again? Because I think the tickle monster would not be very happy." Parker started to giggle even more as Booth let go of Brennan's hand to form two claws with his hands, bringing them menacingly toward his son. Brennan felt the loss of Booth's hand but it was soon taken again, this time by the younger Booth as Parker ran behind Brennan, laughing and saying, "Bones, help me!"

Brennan laughed at their antics, as she became the center of the circle that they stalked each other around. She spread her feet and tired to block Parker to the best of her ability as her eyes challenged Booth to try and beat her. Booth, knowing he was ganged up on, gave a dramatic sigh and unfurled his hands from their claws.

"Okay, bub. You got lucky this time. But just wait until Bones isn't here. Then the tickle monster will return," he told Parker as he gave the boy a mock glare.

"Thanks, Bones!" Parker told her as he grabbed her hand and continued walking out of the zoo. Booth shyly took her other hand in a loose grip that let her know that she could let go if this was taking it too far. She tightened her grip on Booth's hand and gave him a shy smile afterwards, catching his eye for a moment. He gave her his 'charm smile' and squeezed her hand in return.

"So what do you say, Bones? Dinner sound good to you?"

She looked down at Parker, who had mastered the pleading glance and smile that Booth gave her and decided she was not ready to part from their company just yet.

"I would love to, Booth," she told him.

Booth gave her another one of his famous smiles as they continued to walk out toward the car, both of them ready for whatever direction this night would take them.


	4. Sleeping Little Guy

A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting but the site wouldn't let me and I have been trying for the last two days. But here it is. Enjoy and please leave a review!

Sleeping Little Guy

Booth tucked his sleeping son into his bed after carrying him from the couch, down the hallway and into his bedroom. He knew Parker had to be exhausted after the long day he had.

After they got back from the zoo, they decided to make spaghetti and meatballs, with the meatballs just being for Booth and Parker. The dinner was really good, with the company being even better. Parker ended up with spaghetti sauce all over his face and most of his arms as well and they all laughed as Booth and Parker made loud slurping noises as they were eating their dinner. Booth smiled to himself as he saw Brennan unconsciously take her napkin and wipe some of the sauce from Parker's face. Booth knew that Brennan thought that she wasn't good with kids but Booth always knew it was quite the opposite. She had opened up to him during their last three years together as partners in ways that he couldn't imagine. If you had told him when they started their partnership that he would want to pursue a personal relationship with Dr. Temperance Brennan, he would have told you that you were crazy. But now, sitting there watching her and his son interact, he knew that his heart belonged to her and was hers to do what she wanted with it.

After dinner, Parker wanted to watch a movie. Inspired from their trip to the zoo, Parker picked one of the episodes of 'Planet Earth.' As Booth cleaned up, Brennan helped Parker pick out the movie and Booth smiled to himself as he saw his son teaching Brennan how to use the DVD player. Brennan saw Parker kept yawning and she knew that he was on his last leg. Booth told them to start the movie without them while he was cleaning up and so Brennan and Parker sat down on the couch and Parker pressed play. What happened next surprised her. Parker sat right next to her and lay down with his head in her lap, curling his body around her legs and sleepily started watching the movie. She panicked for a minute, not knowing what to do, before doing what came naturally. She placed her hand on his head and started stroking his blond curls. Parker nestled his head further into her legs and Brennan knew he was close to sleep.

Booth walked into his living room and his heart warmed at the sight in front of him. He saw the two people he loved most in the world were on his couch in his apartment and he wanted so much for this scene to be repeated over and over again for the rest of his life. Booth sat down next to Brennan and out her arm on the back of the couch like he did the other night. He didn't want her to think that they were moving too fast, although he felt like three years was long enough. But he knew that he couldn't rush her and she was too important for him to make a stupid mistake. He smiled when she leaned into him again and he curled his arm around her shoulders and stroked his fingers lightly up and down her arm, satisfied when he felt her shiver slightly.

Brennan liked the way this felt; sitting on the couch after a day out together and relaxing just like a normal family. She thought about what the old woman said today when she sat on the bench. Today was the first time Brennan felt like she was part of a real family since her parents left. Booth and Parker had accepted her completely and for that she would always be grateful and even if her and Booth's relationship didn't go any further, she would always remember this day. She felt Parker's breathing even out and figured he was asleep.

"Booth, I think he is asleep," Brennan whispered to him. Booth looked at his son and noticed that his breathing was even and slow.

"I'll put him to bed. When I come back, we'll talk, okay?" Booth told her as he slipped his arms underneath his son's body, his forearms brushing Brennan's thighs in the process. She tried to control her heart rate as she felt the contact.

Now, she was sitting on the couch waiting for Booth to come back from putting his son to bed. Her heart was racing with the implications of what was to come. Today went better than expected and she hoped that Booth felt the same way. She had just recently come to realization that she wanted more from their relationship after some really hard thinking. It was really hard for her to open up to people and commit herself in relationships but she felt that Booth was different. He already knew everything about her and still seemed to want to be with her, something that other men in her life had never done.

Booth tucked the sheet more firmly around his sleeping son, trying to gather his thoughts before going back out into the living room to talk with Brennan. He had known since Sully had asked her to go away with him that he wanted something more personal out of their partnership but wasn't sure she was ready as well. After today, though, when she didn't pull her hand away from his own, he felt like it was time to talk about moving forward. He could feel his stomach turning in anticipation of the upcoming conversation and really hoped it went as well as he wanted it to. Giving his son a soft kiss on his forehead, he turned around and walked into the living room.

Their eyes connected immediately, finding each other subconsciously. Brennan nervously shifted on the couch waiting for Booth to join her. Booth could feel the tension radiating off her body and sat down next to her, close but not touching, wanting to be able to look in her eyes for their talk. He took his hand and cupped her cheek, bringing her eyes up to his from where they were focused on the floor.

"Bones don't be so nervous. It's just me, remember? You can talk to me about anything," Booth told her in a hushed tone, hoping to convey a sense of calm in his eyes that he definitely was not feeling. Brennan gave him a reassuring nod and a small smile, her nerves calmed a little bit by his presence. After sitting for a minute to collect her thoughts, she put her hand over Booth's hand that was still cupping her face and leaned into the caress. She saw Booth give her a slight smile and settle his hand more firmly on her cheek.

"Booth, why did you take my hand today at the zoo?"

Booth had learned throughout the years to not be surprised by Brennan's blunt questions. She was a scientist, always seeking the truth the best way she knew how; by being direct. He was prepared for this and decided to tackle her question head on. He removed his hand from her cheek but didn't let go of her hand and took her other hand in his so he had both of them in his grasp before answering her question.

"Bones, ever since Christmas I've been thinking a lot about…us. I've known for a while now that I wanted a more from our partnership. Getting to know you over the last couple of years has been tough, Bones. You don't exactly make it easy, but I would do it all again in a heartbeat if it meant being here right now, with you" he told her, giving her a small smile.

She absorbed this information, thinking it over for a minute before responding. "And when you say that you want more from our partnership, what does that mean for you?" she asked quietly, almost afraid of where this conversation was heading but excited that he wanted more as well.

He scooted closer to her on the couch, still grasping both his hands and shivering as she started to rub slow circles on the inside of his wrists with her thumbs. "It means, Bones, that I want to go out with you on my arm so the whole world knows that we belong to each other. I want to be able to hug you close without claiming that it is a 'guy hug.' I want to be able to kiss you without being forced to by a puckish prosecutor. I want to spend every moment with you, learning everything about you and sharing my life and stories with you too. And eventually Bones," he said as he got even closer, staring right into her eyes, "I want to show you that it is possible to break the laws of physics."

At some point during his speech, her thumbs stopped rubbing the inside of his wrists as she became lost in his eyes and words. She tried to think of a suitable response, to tell him that she wanted the exact same thing but for once, her brain couldn't think of a response. So she released his hands and brought them up to his face, gently cupping his face and bringing it towards her own as she closed her eyes and brought their lips to each other's for the beginning of their first real kiss.

When he first felt the touch of her lips to his, he didn't response, surprised by her actions. But after his brain caught up, he tangled one of his hands in her hair and the other on her hip as he kissed her back. It was everything he hoped for and got a taste of during their kiss under the mistletoe but so much more at the same time. Her lips were soft and sweet and responded to his perfectly. He buried his hand more deeply into her hair as he deepened the kiss, unable to get enough of her taste.

Brennan was lost in the world that was being created by her and Booth. She never had a kiss like this before, one that was so…perfect. Booth deepened the kiss and she felt their tongues tangle together lazily as they got closer together until she was practically sitting in his lap. She only became aware of the world around her again when her lungs started to burn from the lack of oxygen and she reluctantly pulled back from the kiss, looking in Booth's eyes. She was glad to see that the kiss had affected him in the same way as he looked a little dazed and was breathing hard as well. She smiled at him and gave him one more quick kiss, unable to help herself.

"I want the same thing, Booth," she told him and saw his 'charm smile' instantly appear on his face and a sparkle in his eyes. "And as scared as I am about starting a personal relationship with you, I've decided that I want to try because I think that we could really have something special, something that I haven't felt before."

"I'm scared too Bones; scared of ruining what we already have but I really think we can do it. We'll take it slow and steady. But tonight Bones, I really want to hold you, nothing more. Will you stay tonight?" Booth asked her, conveying the earnestness of his request in his eyes. He did want to take things slow with her, but was not ready to part from his new girlfriend just yet.

Brennan felt the same way. She grabbed his hand and helped him off the couch, leading him down the hallway to his bedroom, wordlessly giving him her answer.


	5. Hurt Little Guy

A/N: Thanks for the wonderful response to this story. My muse is telling me there is one more chapter left but it's not written yet and I would love to hear where you think it should end. Let me know and leave a review! Enjoy!

Hurt Little Guy

Brennan stood over a set of remains that an archaeologist claimed he found in Peru, in an undiscovered part of the country where Incas had settled nearly 700 years ago and the discovery had stirred up a lot of excitement. The remains were sent to the Jeffersonian to be authenticated because the archaeologist was already shopping the bones around to various museums, eager to sell to the highest bidder. The world of archaeology; however, was in for a major disappointment because as the squint squad had just discovered, these bones were no more than 50 years old, probably closer to thirty, meaning that this find was definitely a hoax.

"Dr. Brennan, are you 100% sure about your findings?" Cam asked her, feeling the headache that this case was going to bring on. She was not looking forward to telling the press that the greatest archaeological find of the century was not as it seemed.

"I am uncomfortable with using the term '100%' as I don't think that percentiles apply to this situation as there was no statistics involved in my investigation. But I am comfortable saying that this skeleton is not of Inca ancestry. All the evidence points to this skeleton being from lower Peru and this person probably died around thirty-five years ago," Brennan told her, completely oblivious to Cam's expression.

While Cam was rubbing her temples and rehearsing what she was going to say to the media, Brennan pulled off her latex gloves and walked into her office, wanting to get some work done on her next book. It was early October and it had been slow the last couple of weeks around the Jeffersonian. Her and Booth didn't have a lot of cases in the recent weeks and since her publisher was bugging her about her next chapter, she decided to get some work done on the book. As she sat down at her desk to begin writing, she looked at a framed picture sitting just behind her computer of her, Booth, and Parker when they went to a Nationals baseball game last month. Parker was standing in the middle of Booth and Brennan as they both bent down to his level. The boy had an arm slung over each of their shoulders and a big, goofy grin on his face with her and Booth sporting matching smiles. Brennan smiled as she looked at the picture, completely lost in memories and distracted from working on her book.

Her and Booth had been in a relationship for 6 months and things had been going great. It seemed like they spent every moment together and when they were apart, he was all she thought about. They had been taking it slow like they promised and she knew their relationship was so much stronger because of it. She did feel like she and Booth were both ready to make that next step though and with their seven-month anniversary coming up, she felt like it might just be the perfect time to seduce her boyfriend.

Her office phone ringing startled her out of her happy thoughts and her smile grew even wider when she saw the object of her musings was calling.

"Hey, Booth," she said.

"Bones, are you busy?" he asked her, the tension he was feeling coming through the phone. He was so happy to hear her voice and didn't want to sound needy but he really needed her presence right now.

Brennan's smile disappeared and she sat up straight in her chair upon hearing Booth's voice. She had never heard him sound so scared. "Booth, what's wrong?"

"It's Parker. I'm at George Washington University Hospital. There's been an…accident," he said as his voice broke. He scrubbed a hand over his face to try and hide his tears.

"I'll be there in ten minutes, Booth," Brennan said as she hung up the phone and grabbed her purse and jacket as she walked briskly out of her office and to her car. She wanted to get to Booth as fast as possible.

Booth hung up the phone and looked around from where he was sitting in the waiting room of the ER at George Washington University Hospital. He was a complete mess. He had been here for two hours already, desperate for information on his little boy. He had gotten a call from Rebecca earlier today telling him that Parker had fallen off the monkey bars at school and was being taken to the hospital. He landed in an awkward position and had not only broken his arm, but the EMTs at the scene were worried about possible spinal cord damage when Parker told them he couldn't feel his legs.

Since arriving, Booth had tried to pump any information out of the doctors and nurses but none of them had anything to tell him about the condition of his son. After awhile, he gave up and sat in one of the uncomfortable chairs in the waiting room. He looked over and saw Rebecca being comforted by Brent and really, really missed Brennan. He sat back in his chair and closed his eyes, wanting to feel Brennan's arms comforting him. _Just a few more minutes and then she'll be here_, he told himself. He looked up when he heard the doors to the ER opening and saw her walk in, looking around until their eyes met. She rushed over to him and he stood up and held his arms out. She walked right into them without hesitation as he buried his face into her neck and tightened his grip around her.

Brennan felt him shaking through the embrace, a fine tremor that ran through his body and into hers. She used one of her hands and slowly stroked the back of his head and through the hairs at his neck as his head lay on her shoulder, whispering to him anything that came to mind. Whatever she was saying must have worked because his tremor started to subside and the iron grip he had on her loosened a little bit.

He pulled back to look at her face and was thankful to see support and concern shining clearly through her eyes. He moved his hands so that they cupped her face and pulled her in for a short, sweet kiss, as if reassuring himself that she was really there. She took her hands and started stroking them lightly up and down his sides, trying to calm him some more with her touch alone. He touched his forehead to her own while still keeping his hands on her face. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, letting her soothe away some of his tension with her presence.

After a few moments, Brennan asked softly, "Booth, what happened?" Booth looked at her and took her hand to lead her to the chair he had been occupying for the previous two hours. They sat down and Booth didn't relinquish his hold on her hand but began to rub a circle on the inside of her wrist with his thumb.

"Parker fell off the monkey bars at school. He broke his arm and the EMTs said he couldn't feel his legs," Booth felt his throat close up at the last part of the sentence and looked away from her, not wanting her to see how truly terrified he was.

Brennan was terrified as well. She had gotten so close to Booth and Parker in the last couple of months and worried about the boy's well being. She glanced over Booth's shoulder and noticed that Rebecca was here as well as her boyfriend. She knew she had to remain strong for Booth, who looked like he was at his breaking point. She took her other hand and placed it on his cheek, turning his eyes to meet her own. He complied and let everything he was feeling come through to her, knowing she could read him like a book. She gave him a watery smile and another short kiss on the lips.

"He's strong, Booth. Have the doctors told you anything yet?" she asked, not giving him false reassurances. She knew how fragile the spinal cord was and didn't want to tell him anything that wasn't true.

He shook his head in the negative. "They said they took him to do some scans and that they would get us when they knew more."

She nodded her head, not knowing what to say and placed her head on his shoulder while she pulled their joined hands into her lap. This seemed to be the right thing to do as she felt Booth release a deep breath and place his cheek on top of her head. She looked across and saw Brent give her a small smile and a nod as he held Rebecca and Brennan did the same to him, both acknowledging there was nothing else they could do for Parker's worried parents.

About thirty minutes later, a nurse walked up to them. "Are you all with Parker Booth?" she asked the small group. They all nodded and she said, "Follow me, please, and we will let you see him."

Booth jumped out of his seat and followed on the heels of the nurse, still holding Brennan's hand tightly in his as Rebecca and Brent followed them. They walked down the hallway, past the busy nurses station, gurneys in the hallway, and other patient's beds until they finally reached a curtained off area. The nurse pulled the curtain back and they saw Parker Booth sitting up in bed and trying to complete a Sudoku puzzle that Booth assumed one of the staff gave to him. He looked up at the disturbance and saw his parents and a big smile appeared on his face. He reached out his arms with the left one in a bright blue cast.

"Mommy! Daddy! Look at my blue arm! And the people in the ambulance said that I was a brave boy, just like Daddy," Parker told them as both of his parents rushed forward to hold him.

Brennan looked to the nurse for an explanation. "Parker told the EMTs that he wasn't playing on the monkey bars correctly: Ryan Perry dared him to climb up and stand on the top. He tripped and fell over the side and as he fell, his back hit the pole of the monkey bars. He has a pretty bad contusion on his back that temporarily made him loose feeling in his legs when his lower nerves swelled up. He broke his arm on the ground. All of his scans were negative. The doctor wants to keep him over night to make sure that the condition doesn't return," the nurse told them, neither Booth nor Rebecca moving away from the boy. "You can only stay for fifteen more minutes until visiting hours are over and then you can come back tomorrow morning starting at 8 am."

"Thank you so much, Nurse…" Brennan trailed off, not catching her name.

"Dawkins, Alexis Dawkins," she said as she smiled at them.

They nodded at her and she left the room. Brennan and Brent caught each other's eyes again and walked outside the curtain, leaving the parents and their child alone for a moment. Brennan rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes for a moment, letting out a deep breath. Brent mumbled something to her about grabbing some coffee and walked down the hall. She started when she felt a hand on her arm and saw Booth's warm and reassuring brown eyes stare into hers. He gently squeezed her arm.

"He fell asleep. The nurse gave him something for the pain and then he passed right out. He wanted me to tell you 'hi' though and that he loves you very much," Booth told her with a tired smile. Brennan gave him a smile back, relieved to hear that Parker was okay and touched that Parker thought about her. "You ready to go?" he asked her. She nodded at him and he grabbed her hand as they walked out of the hospital.

She and Booth drove their own cars back to her apartment, both silently agreeing that they weren't ready to be apart yet. She couldn't stop thinking about the emotions she felt at the hospital. She had really started to love Parker like he was her own child and today just reinforced the feelings she had over the past couple of weeks towards the Booth boys. And what really surprised her was that she wasn't scared by her emotions. In the past, whenever she felt some sort of attachment toward anyone, she wanted to run in the opposite direction as fast as possible, claiming that those feeling were just increased serotonin in her synaptic clefts. But this time, she knew that she couldn't run away even if she wanted to: she was attached to the Booth's for the long term.

When she pulled into her parking spot, she realized that she had been sitting there for a couple of minutes. She knew that if Booth beat her, he would just use his key to get into her place. She went up the elevator and opened the door to her apartment. The windows were opened, letting in the cool October air and alerted her that Booth was already home. She walked toward her bedroom and then saw her boyfriend, stretched out on the bed in nothing but his Marvin the Martian boxers, snoring softly as he slept. She smiled softly and began to get ready for bed herself.

Booth heard her getting ready but couldn't open his eyes, the day's emotions tiring him beyond the point of exhaustion. He felt the bed dip with her weight and she scooted over toward him until she wrapped an arm around his waist and put her head on his shoulder. He smiled softly in his sleep and turned his head to press a light kiss to her hairline as he put his arm underneath her shoulder, not caring that it would probably be numb in the morning. He felt her tilt her head back and press a kiss to his jaw and then heard her whisper the three sweetest words he had ever heard.

"I love you."

He opened his eyes to look at her and saw the truth of her statement in her eyes. He smiled at her and gave her a long, tender kiss.

"I love you too, Bones," he told her when they broke apart. They both settled into sleep, knowing they had an early morning to go visit Parker, content in their love for each other.


	6. Our Own Little Guy

A/N: Here is the last chapter of this story. Thanks for the wonderful reviews and support. They really do make my day. And don't forget to leave a review!

Warning: Very slight spoilers for "The Cinderella in the Cardboard"

Our Own Little Guy

Brennan was totally exhausted. All she wanted to do was sleep for 14 hours straight but she was too keyed up with anticipation to go to sleep. A slight shiver went through her body as a light breeze blew through her window reminding her of how crisp the air was on this cool March night. She stared out her window, looking across downtown Washington D.C. at night and marveling at all the lights on the monuments around the city, getting lost in how she came to this moment.

Parker, thankfully, did not suffer any additional spinal damage from his injury. She smiled as she recalled that he had become the 'cool kid' at school when his classmates saw his bright blue cast, all wanting to sign it. And although he was disappointed that he had to sit out his hockey games for the next 8 weeks, he soon became the active, happy boy she had come to know and love.

That was 2 years ago and a lot had changed since then, one of those things being her and Booth's relationship. Ever since the night of Parker's injury, they had become inseparable. And on their seven-month anniversary, she did indeed seduce her boyfriend like she planned and felt she could write a dissertation proving that the laws of physics could really be broken.

Booth was also lost in his thoughts about the past couple of years, recent events making him introspective about how far he and Brennan had come. He thought back to how nervous he was about asking her to marry him a short year ago. It was a couple of weeks after that case with the crazy bride and the dating site and even though he was convinced she would turn him down, he still felt the need to ask. It was a warm April evening when he proposed to her. He took her up to the roof of their building, which he had decorated with white Christmas lights and candles, setting the mood just right. She gasped when he uncovered her eyes and she took in the sight, the roof framed by the lights from downtown Washington D.C. When he got down on one knee, he didn't even get the chance to ask the question when Brennan pulled him back up by the collar of his shirt and kissed him senseless, wordlessly giving him her answer to his unspoken proposal. Two months later, on June 23, a Justice of Peace married them in a private ceremony that took place in the gardens of the Jeffersonian. Booth laughed silently to himself as he remembered. Brennan never seemed able to do things the old fashioned way.

"Mr. Booth?" was the question that interrupted his thoughts and brought him back to the present. He turned to look at the woman who asked the question and gave her a smile. "He's all ready now. Would you like to take him back to your wife?" the nurse asked him. Booth nodded his head eagerly and followed her to the door of the small nursery in the hospital where they had been checking out his newborn son. Booth thought back, thinking that the only old fashioned thing Brennan ever did was getting pregnant on their honeymoon, an unplanned but happy surprise. It had been a long nine months for both of them as they got used to their marriage and also getting ready for their new addition.

The nurse came out of the room with a small bundle in her arms that was covered in a soft blue blanket. "Here you go, Mr. Booth. He is completely healthy. You can take him back to your wife's room and a doctor should be by in a couple of hours to discharge the both of them. Congratulations on a beautiful baby boy," she said as she handed him the bundle with a smile.

Booth carefully cradled his precious cargo to his chest, mumbling his thanks to the nurse without taking his eyes off his little son, who was staring at him as well. He had his mother's bright blue eyes and Booth hoped they would stay that way. He peeked under the blue cap his son was wearing to see the thick batch of his brown hair, the same color as his own. His son gave him a wide yawn and Booth couldn't stop smiling at the boy. As he started to walk down the hallway to Brennan's room, he started talking to his son. "Hello, little man. It's me, Daddy. Your mom and I are so excited that you are finally here. We both love you so much." The boy looked at his father the entire time Booth talked, mesmerized by his voice.

Brennan was pulled away from gazing out the window when she heard a disturbance at her door, her exhaustion melting away when she saw her husband elbowing his way in the room as he held their son.

"And here's your mommy, little man. She is the most beautiful woman in the whole world and she loves you so much. You are our own little guy," Booth said as he continued the running dialogue with their son. Brennan smiled at him and held her arms out, anxious to hold him. When they took him about an hour ago from her arms to check him out, they had felt empty. She was already so in love with her son and couldn't wait for the opportunity to see him again. She scooted over on the bed slightly as Booth approached, making room for him on the hospital bed, wincing as her abdominal muscles protested slightly. Booth sat down next to her and gently transferred their son from his arms to her own as she cradled the small boy in her arms. Booth wrapped his right arm around her and leaned back against the pillows, his left hand coming up to stroke their son's hand, Booth's finger being grabbed in a fist by the newborn.

As Booth and Brennan looked at each other, they were both reminded of the time when Brennan came over to his apartment late at night with a screaming Andy over two years ago and Booth had taught her to hold the boy the very same way she was holding their son now. They had come so far together since that night, Andy helping them come together and realize their love for each other. Booth gave her a soft smile and leaned down to give her a soft, tender kiss on the lips. When he pulled away, they both spent a moment looking at their newborn son, completely content and happy in this moment. Brennan leaned down and placed a small kiss on his forehead as she whispered, "Welcome to your family, Jacob Andrew Booth."

A/N 2: So that's it for this one. I do want to write a story that deals with the 2 years or so that this chapter briefly described, including the relationship, engagement, marriage, pregnancy and so forth and that will probably be posted in the next couple of months. But with school starting up again in about a week, I won't have a lot of time to write or post and I wanted to write some closure for this story before that happened. Something you want to see in the next story? Let me know and write a review!


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